Creekside’s Fifth Annual Generosity Sunday
I’m not ashamed to admit it: this Sunday might be my favorite Sunday of the year. This Sunday is our annual milestone to remember together that we’re far happier when we give than when we receive. There is a satisfying joy in being generous that we experience together each year.
The idea emerged four years ago as we collectively geared up for another holiday shopping season: What if we put down a waypoint each year to remind ourselves what Jesus taught us, that a life of giving is far better than a life of receiving? We decided to dedicate the Sunday before Black Friday and Small Business Saturday to a sermon on generosity.
Look, I get it. I’m cynical, too. A sermon on generosity during the end-of-year giving cycle? Really? How could we convince people that we weren’t, like everyone else, ultimately interested in our own bottom line? But covering a budget deficit was never the point of Generosity Sunday, and there was only one way to prove it.
So, on Sunday, November 24, 2019, I concluded my sermon on generosity by telling you that we would be giving away every cent of that morning’s offering. What followed was so much fun, and the response so amazing, that we decided to do it every year.
Last year, we had the joy of splitting $50,000 between two of our local partners. City Church, our sister EFCA church here in Gainesville, received a gift toward the capital campaign that has allowed them to purchase their building (right on 1st and University!), and Gainesville Community Ministry was encouraged to press into its mission to give help and hope to those in need.
The idea emerged four years ago as we collectively geared up for another holiday shopping season: What if we put down a waypoint each year to remind ourselves what Jesus taught us, that a life of giving is far better than a life of receiving? We decided to dedicate the Sunday before Black Friday and Small Business Saturday to a sermon on generosity.
Look, I get it. I’m cynical, too. A sermon on generosity during the end-of-year giving cycle? Really? How could we convince people that we weren’t, like everyone else, ultimately interested in our own bottom line? But covering a budget deficit was never the point of Generosity Sunday, and there was only one way to prove it.
So, on Sunday, November 24, 2019, I concluded my sermon on generosity by telling you that we would be giving away every cent of that morning’s offering. What followed was so much fun, and the response so amazing, that we decided to do it every year.
Last year, we had the joy of splitting $50,000 between two of our local partners. City Church, our sister EFCA church here in Gainesville, received a gift toward the capital campaign that has allowed them to purchase their building (right on 1st and University!), and Gainesville Community Ministry was encouraged to press into its mission to give help and hope to those in need.
This weekend will be our fifth annual Generosity Sunday. To date, we have given just under $175,000 to local and global ministry partners. These one-time gifts are unplanned and unexpected by our partners, providing an opportunity to bless those whose hard work blesses our community and our global neighbors. And, it helps us experience what Jesus said we would experience in a life of generosity.
So come ready to join us in our pursuit of joy!
So come ready to join us in our pursuit of joy!